A Ukrainian special forces commander says North Korean troops have moved back from the fighting for roughly a fortnight

South Korea's military said on Friday that it suspects North Korea is preparing to send more troops to Russia to fight Ukrainian forces, even after suffering losses and seeing some of its soldiers captured.

North Korea is poised to send more than 100 of its fearsome M1989 Koksan howitzers to Vladimir Putin's troops in Ukraine, a top general has claimed.

Andriy Kowalenko, head of the Centre for Counteracting Disinformation at the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, reported that Russia is increasingly dependent on artillery supplies from North Korea.